


Danse Macabre

by LadyRosalie



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Blood Drinking, Blood and Gore, Eventual Smut, F/F, Femslash, Height Differences, Horror, Jealousy, Older Woman/Younger Woman, Pining, Possessive Behavior, Progenitor virus, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Tall Vampire Lady - Freeform, Vampire Bites, Vampire Turning, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:27:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29286021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyRosalie/pseuds/LadyRosalie
Summary: The newest maid at Castle Dimitrescu has caught the Lady’s particular attention.
Relationships: Lady Dimitrescu (Resident Evil)/Original Character(s), Lady Dimitrescu (Resident Evil)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 43
Kudos: 408





	1. Welcome to Castle Dimitrescu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Camille Saint-Saëns's 'Danse macabre' gives me such Lady Dimitrescu vibes. Also found a record of it in the Maiden demo.

It was a particularly cold and dreary day when Tatyana found out that she was being sent to work at Castle Dimistrecu. 

Her uncle was emotionless as he ordered her to pack her meager belongings. The young woman’s fingers shook as she clutched at her satchel. 

Tatyana had grown up hearing the stories. Girls who went to work at Castle Dimitrescu never returned. They simply disappeared, never to be heard from again. Those who went to the castle searching for their loved ones similarly vanished. The wine the Dimitrescu family was famous for, Sanguis Virginis, was rumored to contain the gruesome ingredient that gave the brand its name. 

Of course, they were not mere rumors.

Everyone in the village knew. It was an unspoken truth, that terrible things happened to those who entered the castle on the hill. The maidens brought to the castle were sacrificed, bodies harvested of blood and flesh. Many in the region were involved in cults that engaged in similar practices, even the other noble families. Tatyana had been conditioned from a young age to understand and obey the unspoken rules among the villagers. Every person in the village knew to lock their doors at night. They knew to stay inside their homes on those rare occasions when the Lady of the castle or her children would visit the village. Above all, the villagers knew to stay away from Castle Dimitrescu.

As she was shoved out into the snow, Tatyana briefly considered running. After gazing out across the village, she realized with growing dread that she would not get far. The other villagers would not meet her gaze. 

_She had been chosen._

She would walk to the castle herself, or be made to. Failing that, the Lady would surely send her brother and his dogs after her.

Resigned to her fate, Tatyana began the trek to the castle through the snow.

The wind whipped her long dark hair, and her thin clothes provided little protection from the frigid temperatures. Tatyana was almost looking forward to arriving at the castle, if only to have a reprieve from the day’s miserable weather. 

Through the gloom, the castle’s intimidating form slowly appeared. 

The towering spires and ancient walls were truly a sight to see. If she was not so apprehensive about what horrors surely awaited her inside, Tatyana would have been excited to explore such a castle.

The castle’s great metal doors were ajar. Shivering in the cold, Tatyana spurned decorum and nudged through the opening and into the drafty foyer.

She stood in a room grander than anything that she had ever seen before. The room was elaborately decorated with plush crimson rugs and gold trim. The marble floor was polished to a shine. A fireplace roared to her right, a staircase wound up to another level on her left. A large chandelier hung in the center of the room. Tatyana marveled at the sight of it for a moment before noticing that she was not alone. 

A young blonde woman in a dark dress stood alone in the foyer, near the gleaming staircase. Her eyes lit up in an unsettling way as she gazed upon the new arrival. 

“Mother,” she called, grinning maniacally with red stained teeth. “The new girl has arrived.”

Tatyana tensed at the sudden sound of approaching footsteps. The sound of heels clicking on the floor echoed in the cavernous room. A wide brimmed black hat entered the doorway first, and she realized with a start that the figure wearing it was so tall that they had to _duck_ beneath the doorway in order to fit. The figure straightened elegantly upon passing underneath the doorway, revealing an impossibly tall and statuesque woman.

A woman, Tatyana realized, who could only be the dreaded Lady of the castle.

She was the tallest woman Tatyana had ever seen. The Lady had to be at _least_ nine feet tall, if not more. She stood with one gloved hand on her hip. Her black hair curled neatly beneath her hat. Clad in a flowing white dress, the tall woman appeared unbothered by the chill that had settled over the room despite her pallid complexion.

Tatyana watched with apprehension as a smile slowly spread over the woman’s red painted lips. 

“So we finally meet.” The Lady began to slowly cross the foyer towards where Tatyana stood, frozen. “I am Lady Alcina Dimitrescu. You are to be our new maid, yes?”

Tatyana swallowed. “Yes, my Lady.”

“Oh, this one has manners,” Lady Dimitrescu exclaimed, delighted. She turned to her daughter and called, “Daniela, dear, please inform the others of our new arrival.”

The blonde nodded and disappeared so quickly that Tatyana gasped at the suddenness of her departure. Before she could question what had happened, Lady Dimitrescu spoke again.

“Tell me, darling, what is your name?” She asked, voice smooth like velvet.

Lady Dimitrescu had drawn close enough for Tatyana to smell the sweet floral scent of her perfume. Up close, Tatyana could see the wrinkles at the corners of her mouth and the crow’s feet that appeared in the corners of her eyes as they narrowed at her silence.

“Are you afraid, girl?” Lady Dimitrescu asked, having mistaken the girl’s racing heartbeat for fear.

“I am not afraid,” Tatyana said at once, her posture stiffening. “My Lady,” she added the honorific quickly when Lady Dimitrescu’s golden eyes flashed dangerously at her bold declaration.

Lady Dimitrescu paused, honey eyes appraising the young woman before her. Something she found must have pleased her, for the sinister expression in her countenance faded into something more pleasant. “Indeed,” she hummed. “What a curious thing you are.”

“Thank you, my Lady?” Tatyana replied, hesitantly.

Her reply caused the Lady to erupt into a peal of laughter.

The sound caused a flush to paint the maid’s face. A flush that only deepened when Lady Dimitrescu’s strange eyes returned to her.

“Now, pet, what is your name?”

Tatyana had the good sense to respond this time. Lady Dimitrescu did not seem like a patient woman. “Tatyana, my Lady. Tatyana Dragomir.”

Movement drew their attention to the doorway. A nervous looking woman wearing an apron over her dress approached the pair hesitantly, her eyes fixed to the floor. 

“Girl, this is our new maid. You will show her to her quarters and instruct her during her first day tomorrow.” Lady Dimitrescu commanded. 

The maid glanced briefly at Tatyana, eyes wide. “Y-yes, ma’am.”

Lady Dimitrescu nodded and glanced back to the castle’s new addition, smirking. Interest was glowing in those strange eyes. “Welcome to Castle Dimitrescu, Tatyana.”


	2. Blood and Wine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the support on this!

Tatyana had always been a fast learner, a fact she was beyond grateful for now. She had learned much during her first few weeks serving in Castle Dimitrescu.

She was certain, now, that the legends about the castle’s inhabitants were true. None of the other staff had left the castle alive. Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters were not human. Tatyana was not sure _what_ exactly they were, only that they were no longer human. She had seen the blood in the halls, heard the faint screams, caught the scent of something foul and rotten coming from the cellar. She hadn’t missed the strange swarms that followed the Lady’s daughters, the faint buzzing that always signaled the approach of one of the sisters. Tatyana had scrubbed the red stains clean from tea cups and wine glasses. She had seen clothes, so similar to her own, burning in the fireplace. 

Lady Dimitrescu’s daughters had a habit of leaving the castle at sunset. They would return just before dawn wearing matching bloodstained gowns and maniacal grins. The Lady's daughters seemed averse to sunlight. The castle's windows were covered with heavy drapes and the slightest disturbance of them would cause the girls to hiss and shriek. 

The other maids had seen the same things. They whispered about it at night in the shared servants' quarters. They spoke of past maids who had disappeared, of the way the Lady’s wine would stain her lips a crueler shade of crimson. They sobbed into each other's shoulders, making plans to escape. Tatyana kept to herself, but it was impossible for her to miss the frightened, feverish murmuring that would continue late into the night. 

Despite her lingering questions about the mansion and its unnatural inhabitants, Tatyana recognized something that the other maids had all failed to. They were never truly alone. 

The walls of Castle Dimitrescu had eyes and ears. Even when she was supposed to be alone, asleep in her bed at night, the feeling of being watched never left Tatyana. The feeling of someone’s eyes on her, no matter what she did or where she went, was constant. She understood the lethal mistake it would be to speak against the Lady or her daughters, even in presumed privacy. 

Members of the staff that started to ask too many questions inevitably disappeared. 

So, Tatyana kept her head down. She did her work, and did it diligently. She kept to herself. She spoke only when spoken to, and made certain to use proper titles and manners on the rare occasions when she interacted with Lady Dimitrescu or her daughters. Manners and proper etiquette were a requirement in Castle Dimitrescu. 

Her quick adaptation to life in the castle kept her from earning the ire of its dangerous inhabitants. She had the same questions and concerns as the other maids.

But she knew better than to question the Ladies of the House. 

* * *

A loud crash from the sitting room startled Tatyana into nearly dropping the dish that she had been washing in the kitchen.

Another maid, Irina, burst through the kitchen door. Her eyes were red and puffy, tears silently streaming down her pale cheeks. Tatyana watched for a moment as Irina took several shuddering breaths, hands clenching her apron.

“Irina, what’s wrong?” she asked, placing one hand on the other woman’s trembling shoulder.

“S-she…” Irina stuttered, shaking.

“Irina?”

The maid closed her eyes and shook her head. It was then that Tatyana noticed the crimson liquid spattered across the frightened woman’s apron. Before Tatyana could react, Irina turned and fled the kitchen through another door. 

A sense of cold dread settled over Tatyana as she watched the door swing shut behind the other maid. She had a horrible feeling that Irina would not be around for much longer. 

The familiar sound of heels against marble drew Tatyana’s attention back to the door that Irina had burst through not a minute before. She watched, frozen, as Lady Dimitrescu crouched elegantly beneath the doorway. The Lady straightened smoothly, and fixed the maid with her golden gaze.

“Where is she?”

There was no question as to who the Lady was referring. “I don’t know, my Lady.” Tatyana answered honestly. 

Lady Dimitrescu’s lip curled in displeasure. Her teeth looked unusually sharp. “Foolish girl,” she snarled. “She was meant to pour my nightcap.” 

Tatyana’s heart raced as Lady Dimitrescu’s eyes narrowed at her. The Lady canted her head and eyed the smaller woman consideringly. She hummed. “I suppose you will have to do, my dear. Come.”

Tatyana followed Lady Dimitrescu into the sitting room. As the taller woman took her seat, Tatyana noticed the shattered glass and red liquid on the floor near the side table. She stepped around the mess to approach the chair where the Lady had settled herself. Lady Dimitrescu plucked a wine glass from the side table and held it up expectantly. Her lips curled in faint amusement.

“Pour,” the Lady instructed. 

A bottle of wine, the Lady’s own Sanguis Virginis, rested on the table. As she picked up the bottle, the maid felt the Lady’s gaze settle on her and realized that she was being _tested._

Tatyana carefully poured the wine, focused on not spilling a single drop. She steadfastly ignored the viscous consistency of the liquid and the oddly metallic smell. The maid stepped back once she had finished and set the bottle back on the side table. 

The Lady raised the glass to her mouth. Her honey colored eyes watched Tatyana as she tilted the glass to take a sip. Tatyana met Lady Dimitrescu’s gaze, watched as the Lady’s eyes closed in delight as she drained her glass.

Lady Dimitrescu reached a long arm to set the glass down, and her eyes quickly swiveled back to the waiting maid. 

“Well done, sweetling.” She said with a small smirk on her painted lips. “You shall take over the task of pouring my nightcap from now on.”

The maid swallowed. “Yes, my Lady.”

Lady Dimitrescu regarded her for a moment, an oddly pleased expression on her lovely face. “You are dismissed for the evening.”

Tatyana bowed at the waist and quickly left the sitting room. Her heart was still thrumming swiftly in her chest. The Lady had been pleased with her.

Tatyana thought that perhaps Lady Dimitrescu enjoyed the novelty of her, the novelty of meeting a fearless gaze. 

She wondered, idly, how long that would last. 


	3. Maid’s Gambit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, leaving comments and kudos. Updates will be frequent, but relatively short. Since we don’t yet know the names of Lady Dimitrescu’s other daughters, I chose popular Romanian names for them in the meantime. I will go back and change the names to their cannon ones when we know them. 
> 
> The devil works hard, but this fandom works harder.

Irina vanished the morning after Tatyana’s encounter with her in the kitchen. 

Tatyana was not surprised, given what she had seen of the Lady’s fury towards the other maid. That night, as she poured Lady Dimitrescu her nightcap, she could not help but wonder if Irina was already in a bottle much like the one she held. 

Irina’s disappearance left the rest of the maids silent and sullen that night. Tatyana had not known the other maid well, but she mourned for the gruesome fate that had befallen Irina nonetheless. Lady Dimitrescu was terrifying when she was angry. Her daughters were even worse. Miss Daniela was by far the messiest when she dealt with members of the staff who fell out of favor. Maria and Elena were not much kinder. 

One maid, Ana, was particularly distraught over Irina’s disappearance. She sat on the bed that had been Irina’s, staring brokenly at the possessions that the other maid had left behind.

Tatyana winced as Ana began to tearfully hiss curses against the Dimitrescu family and their cruelty. 

She wondered if the others saw the way the shadows darkened, tendrils creeping across the room to swallow the dying candlelight. 

In the end it did not matter. Ana wouldn’t last much longer.

* * *

Lady Dimitrescu’s foul mood the next evening had Tatyana on edge. She had seen the results of her Mistress's temper, and she usually ended up cleaning the remains of the Lady's displeasure off of the castle’s floors. 

Tatyana’s green eyes darted from the tense lines of the tall woman’s form. She surveyed the room’s dark cherry wood floors, the oil paintings that hung on the walls. 

Her eyes settled on a chess board set up on a small table across the room, nestled between two plush high-backed chairs. The carved pieces glinted in the light cast from the fireplace.

A horrible, reckless idea struck the maid at once.

Tatyana took a steadying breath. “Do you play, my Lady?” she asked. 

Lady Dimitrescu’s eyes snapped to her. Tatyana stiffened at the look on her face. There was something dangerous in the Lady’s voice when she spoke, “Pardon?”

Tatyana swallowed. “Chess, my Lady,” she said, nervously. “Do you play?”

Lady Dimitrescu canted her head. Her black curls bounced with the movement. “I do,” she said slowly. The Lady’s bright eyes gleamed. “My daughters rarely have the patience to join me. Would _you_ care for a game, dearie?” She asked, smiling with far too many teeth.

Tatyana nodded, no longer trusting her voice. 

“Wonderful,” Lady Dimitrescu purred. She rose to her full impressive height and crossed the room in elegant strides. Tatyana trailed behind her, taking the opposite seat before the white chess pieces. 

The Lady motioned to the board with her hand, smirking. “Your move, pet.”

Tatyana moved her pawn forward to e4. Lady Dimitrescu moved her own pawn forward, the piece almost comically small in the Lady’s large gloved hand. They began the game in silence, both women focused on the board. The maid moved her next pawn to a position that would allow it to be captured. Tatyana hoped that Lady Dimitrescu would recognize the move for what it was, a gambit. She was offering the piece to be captured, in the hopes that the positional advantage would outweigh the material disadvantage. 

Lady Dimitrescu’s eyes rose to meet hers. The Lady’s painted lips curled as she captured the white pawn. She had accepted the gambit. 

Tatyana moved her bishop forward. The Lady responded by bringing her queen into play, moving it diagonally to check Tatyana’s king. Forced to move her king to safety, the maid began to worry. 

Lady Dimitrescu was a skilled opponent. 

The tall woman moved another black pawn forward, which Tatyana swiftly captured with her bishop. Both players moved their knights forward, but Tatyana’s knight threatened the Lady’s queen. 

Lady Dimitrescu leaned forward suddenly in her seat, golden eyes narrowed at the chess board. “You are an experienced player,” she commented, deftly moving her queen out of danger. 

Tatyana made her next move before replying. “Yes, my Lady.”

“How did a peasant learn to play so well?” The Lady asked. 

Tatyana’s lips curved into a small, sad smile. “My brother taught me, my Lady. We played together as children.”

Lady Dimitrescu nodded and said nothing else, but there was curiosity and something strange burning in her honey gaze. 

As the game progressed, Tatyana’s earlier worry ebbed. The Lady did not seem to realize the danger that she was in. Though Tatyana had lost far more pieces, she had maintained dominance over the center of the board. Her remaining pieces were enough to force checkmate. 

Moving her last piece into place Tatyana said, “Checkmate, my Lady.”

Lady Dimitrescu stared at the board in silence, eyebrows high. For a moment, Tatyana was afraid. She had no idea how Lady Dimitrescu would react to losing. 

To her surprise, a grin slowly spread across the older woman’s pale face. “Indeed,” the Lady said, inclining her head. Lady Dimitrescu extended a hand over the table. “To a good game.”

Tatyana reached to shake her Lady’s hand. “To a good game,” she echoed.

Instead of releasing Tatyana’s hand, Lady Dimitrescu kept ahold of it as she rose from her seat. She led the maid across the sitting room, depositing her in one of the armchairs in front of the fireplace. 

Lady Dimitrescu took a seat in the other chair, a grin still in place. “From now on, Tatyana, you will serve as my personal handmaiden.”

Tatyana was too startled, by both the Lady’s statement and the use of her name, to reply.

The Lady chuckled lowly at the look of surprise on the maid’s face. “I remember those worth remembering.”

Tatyana blushed, oddly pleased by that statement despite the implications. 

The matriarch regarded her quietly for a moment. “The hour is late. I’ll explain the details of your new position to you tomorrow. You’re dismissed for the evening,” she ordered with a brief wave of her hand. 

The maid stood and bowed slightly at the waist. “Goodnight, my Lady,” she murmured before leaving the parlor. 

Tatyana was too far away to hear Lady Dimitrescu’s soft reply, “Sleep well, darling.”


	4. Handmaid's Tale

There was something mesmerizing about watching Lady Alcina Dimitrescu go through her morning routine. Tatyana felt strangely privileged to be able to see the Mistress of the Castle makeup-free, black curls mussed from sleep. 

Every morning, Tatyana would rise early before the other maids to head across the castle to Lady Dimitrescu’s bedroom. She changed the linens on the Lady’s enormous gilded canopy bed and collected the laundry for washing. The maid had learned how to arrange the heavy curtains to hang exactly the way Lady Dimitrescu liked. 

Tatyana took pride in keeping the Lady’s room pristine. Every smirk Lady Dimitrescu sent her made Tatyana’s blood thrum in her ears. A heady sense of excitement came over Tatyana every time she was with Lady Dimitrescu. 

It was difficult to remain focused on her tasks when her Lady’s presence commanded attention.

Day after day, she failed to resist the urge to sneak glances at the tall woman. Every so often, as Lady Dimitrescu pinned her curls or painted her lips red, their eyes would lock in the mirror of the Lady’s vanity. Those golden eyes held a dangerously magnetic quality over Tatyana - capable of drawing her most hidden, coveted secrets to the surface of her mind. Staring into them through the mirror, Tatyana felt a stirring in her heart, something quick and nervous. 

Tatyana felt like something had shifted. There was something new in Lady Dimitrescu’s eyes.

* * *

There was always a tell-tale buzzing that preceded the arrival of one of Lady Dimitrescu’s daughters. That sound sent a small jolt of fear through Tatyana, and she dropped the scrubbing brush she had been using to clean the floors. She had seen the cuts and scars on the other maid’s faces. The Lady’s daughters tended to express their displeasure with knives. 

The auburn-haired sister, Elena, appeared before her. Tatyana relaxed slightly at the sight. Elena was by far the most affable of the Lady’s three daughters. 

Elena, flies humming around her, stared down at Tatyana for a moment before asking, “You're Mother’s maid?” 

Tatyana nodded. “I am.”

“Good.” The redhead effortlessly hauled Tatyana to her feet. Even standing, Tatyana felt incredibly small. The sisters were not as tall as their mother, but they towered over everyone else in the castle. “Come with me.” Elena beckoned. 

Tatyana followed Elena through the castle’s winding corridors until they reached a small washroom where the other two sisters were waiting. Daniela was kneeling at the bathtub, furiously scrubbing at a dark garment. Maria stood silently behind her sister, dark hair obscuring her face.

Elena sauntered into the room. “I brought help,” she said, gesturing to Tatyana.

Daniela sneered at the sight of her. “You brought one of the maids?”

Elena shrugged. “You’re not getting anywhere, Daniela.”

“I do not need help.” Daniela hissed through gritted teeth.

“Oh, I think you do.” Elena giggled. “You shouldn’t hold on to such things anyway,” she said, more seriously. “Our purpose is to serve, not cling to the past.”

Daniela dropped the cloth in her hands and shot to her feet, snarling. A hand settled on the blonde’s shoulder. 

The third sister, Maria, stepped forward. “Enough, sisters.” she snapped, turning to appraise Tatyana. “Her purpose is to serve. Perhaps she’ll be of use.”

“Fine.” Daniela ground out. “I stained a dress of mine. A special dress. Fix it,” she demanded and threw her dress at the maid, who caught it with a wet splat.

Maria breathed in deeply through her nose. “What do you know of removing blood from clothing?” she asked. 

Ignoring the strangeness of the situation, Tatyana considered the stained fabric. “Quite a bit actually,” she replied. “Is it fresh?”

“Not anymore.” Daniela replied, licking her lips. Dried blood stained her mouth and chin. 

Tatyana nodded. “I think we’ll find what we will need in the kitchen.”

The Lady’s daughters exchanged a glance Tatyana could not decipher, but they followed her without complaint through the castle’s halls to the kitchen. Maria perched herself on a nearby stool. Elena paced restlessly around the kitchen, peering occasionally into cabinets and cupboards. Daniela leaned against the counter, watching carefully as Tatyana took something from one of the cupboards and stood at the sink mixing a solution into the stained fabric. 

The maid did not understand the significance of the garment to Daniela, but it seemed important to the blonde. It was not anything like the dark hooded gowns that the Lady’s daughters typically wore. The dress reminded Tatyana of the plain, handmade clothing that she had worn for most of her life. She wondered if Daniela had come from similar circumstances, if the dress was a remnant of a past life. 

Tatyana watched with satisfaction, and no small amount of relief, as the stain on Daniela’s dress faded under the warm water. 

“If you weren't so insistent on playing with your food this would never have happened.”

“Shut up, Maria.” Daniela snapped waspishly. “It is not my fault that she squirmed so much.” 

“Such a messy eater,” teased Elena.

Maria ignored her sisters, instead she peered curiously at where Tatyana stood at the sink. “How did you come to learn such things?”

“Surely not here,” snickered Daniela.

Daniela’s comment, despite its sinister implications, brought a faint smile to Tatyana’s lips. Many of her fondest childhood memories were of hunts with her father and brother, of her father’s gentle smile and her brother’s eager eyes. “I used to hunt for my family. Blood is inevitable when field dressing an animal.” 

“Oh, hunting,” exclaimed Elena, turning to face the others. “We love to hunt. Don’t we, sisters?”

Maria nodded, a faint smirk on her pretty face. “Indeed.”

Daniela cackled gleefully. “What’s your weapon of choice, little human?” The blonde asked, smirking. The blood staining her mouth and chin looked black in the kitchen’s dim light. “I’m _wicked_ with a sickle.”

“I hunted with a bow.”

Elena cocked her head. “Are you any good?”

Tatyana nodded. “I would say so.” She _had_ managed to provide for herself and her family.

Maria hummed, but Elena looked intrigued. 

“I’ve always wanted to learn how to shoot a bow,” Elena mused. “You could teach me!”

“I-I mean I guess-” stuttered Tatyana. 

“We could all learn,” suggested Elena, ochre eyes glinting with dark excitement. “Imagine the possibilities.”

“Imagine…” Daniela murmured. A manic expression crossed her face. “Teach me,” she demanded.

“I would like to learn as well,” piped a grinning Maria. 

“I would be happy to teach you all, but I don’t exactly have any free time,” said Tatyana. “My duties-”

“Mother won’t mind if we steal you away for an hour or so.” Elena insisted. 

“We’ll speak to Mother, little human,” assured Maria, having noticed that the human did not appear convinced by her sister’s words. 

Daniela rolled her eyes, but Elena nodded eagerly. The redhead was practically vibrating in place in her excitement. The flies that swarmed around her buzzed with increased intensity. 

“I don't have anything to teach you with,” the maid said. 

Again it was Maria who responded, “Don’t worry about that.” She smirked. “I’m sure we have the necessary weapons. Somewhere.”

Out of excuses, Tatyana merely nodded in acquiescence. 

As she listened to the Mistress’s daughters babble excitedly about upcoming hunts and “man blood”, Tatyana couldn't help but wonder exactly what she had gotten herself into. 

* * *

Days later, Tatyana was pulled away from her nightly kitchen duties by an eager Elena. Though nervous about the prospect of teaching the Dimitrescu daughters another way to torment the locals, Tatyana was glad to be out of the kitchen. She didn't truly understand the purpose of preparing such grand meals everyday. The decadence never sat well with Tatyana. Not when she remembered that her late mother would often skip meals when food was scarce in order to ensure that her children had enough to eat. The Mistress of the castle never ate any of the food. Neither did her daughters. It always sat untouched on the dining room table, making meals a strangely performative event. The staff ate it later. 

And the Dimitrescus ate the staff.

_Vampires. Cannibals._

That thought sent a shiver through Tatyana, as she was led through the castle’s steel doors and into the snowy courtyard. Elena noticed. The hooded woman glanced back at the maid and offered her a small smile.

“Maria has a coat for you,” she said, still smiling. She was proud of herself. Proud for remembering to take care of Mother’s human.

Tatyana tried to smile back as Elena pulled her further out into the snow. 

Daniela and Maria were waiting, hoods up, and shifting uncomfortably under the setting sun. The sisters had set up lanterns around one side of the courtyard. A dummy, or at least what Tatyana hoped was a dummy, was hanging from one of the nearby trees. Several bows and a large quiver full of arrows rested upon the snow near Daniela’s feet.

Maria stepped forward and wrapped a thick, fur-lined coat around Tatyana’s shoulders. The maid sighed at the warmth, though the coat was far to big on her. She flexed her fingers and knelt to pick up one of the bows. 

“Alright,” Tatyana said, motioning for the others to pick up a weapon. “Let’s begin.”

* * *

Alcina watched, unseen from the balcony, as her little handmaiden instructed her daughters. Her children seemed to have taken to Tatyana. The sight brought a real, true smile to her face. She had decided that she would be keeping the girl. Tatyana would not be bled for the year’s harvest, nor would she be sacrificed to meet Mother Miranda’s demands. Alcina had thought it a waste to kill the girl when they first met. Tatyana was uncommonly beautiful, especially for a peasant. Her lips were plump cupid’s bows, her hair fell in dark brown waves past her shoulders. Her green eyes reminded the Lady of the pine trees in the forest beyond the village.

Alcina had always liked pretty things, and the maid had managed to genuinely impress her during her time in the castle. The girl was a clever and observant creature. The maidens brought to the castle never lasted as long as Tatyana had. They would typically serve for two or three weeks before inevitably making a mistake that sent them to the cellar to either be harvested for the Dimitrescu’s prized vintage, or sacrificed to their dark god. Tatyana had arrived at the castle during the beginning of the Romanian winter. Nearly two months later, with the coldest months of winter still ahead, she remained. 

She was _perfect_.

Observing the human’s interactions with her daughters in the courtyard below had cemented in the Lady’s mind that not only would Tatyana fit in nicely at Alcina’s side, but that she would fit well in their coven as a whole. 

The family would finally be _complete_. The thought nearly made the vampire giddy with excitement. 

Alcina had given her daughters clear instructions that the girl was not to be harmed when they had come to her earlier, seeking permission for the whole exercise. She remembered, with some amusement, the looks of surprise that her daughters had exchanged. Never before had a maid been deemed off limits to them. Alcina did try to be an accommodating sire. She didn’t deny her girls their entertainment if she could help it. 

But this one was _hers_.

While she trusted her daughters to obey her orders, Alcina was also well aware of just how _fragile_ humans were. So, the Countess had taken to the balcony with a glass of wine to oversee the lesson. She watched the women below interact with growing fondness. 

_Mine_ , Alcina thought, taking a sip of wine. Her ruby lips pulled back into a pleased smile. _She’s mine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled a lot with chapter. I was not sure how much of the daughters or Lady D's perspective to include, so let me know what you think.
> 
> As always, thank you for leaving comments and kudos.


End file.
